Neil Diamond, an American singer-songwriter who sold more than 130 million records met with producers Ken Davenport and Bob Gaudio who wrote a musical about my life, called “A Beautiful Noise.”
As one of the best-selling musicians of all time, this is a true story about a boy from Brooklyn. His grandparents were immigrants from Poland and Russia. Diamond started writing songs at 15 years old and got his first guitar at 16. They also mentioned in the musical that he had developed a skill of writing poetry.
In the beginning of the musical, the older Neil Diamond (Robert Westenberg) is sitting in a chair at his therapist’s office, which he spent a majority of his life in therapy, recalling his time climbing the ladder to stardom. In between sessions, the younger Neil Diamond (Nick Fradine) would play in Tin Pan Alley where he got to play his music to local music publishers. His first success as a songwriter was “I’m a Believer” for the Monkees.
Some of his famous tunes he sang during the show was “Coming to America,” “Cherry, Cherry, “Holly Holy,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Shilo,” and “Solitary Man,” just to name a few. Of course, his greatest hit was “Sweet Caroline.”
In 2018, Diamond announced he would stop touring after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. As the older Neil Diamond sat a chair in the therapist’s office, she asked, “Are you OK with this?” He said, “I am,” as he sang the song “I am, I said.”
There was a 15-minute break between the Acts. The musical of his life was filled with his songs that most people would remember. The acting and singing were superb. This musical was a celebration of uplifting music and his inspirational life. It is definitely worth seeing, in my opinion.
Performance times for “A Beautiful Noise” appearing at the Fisher Theater, from December 24 to January 25, 2025, in Detroit located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd. are:
- Friday, December 27 at 7:30 pm
- Saturday, December 28 matinee at 2:00 pm and evening at 7:30 pm
- Sunday, December 29 matinee at 1:00 pm and evening at 6:30 pm
- Monday, December 30 at 7:30 pm
- Tuesday, December 31 at 1:00 pm
- No performances New Year’s Day
- Thursday, January 2 at 7:30 pm
- Friday, January 3 at 7:30 pm
- Saturday, January 4 matinee at 2:00 pm and evening at 7:30 pm
- Sunday, January 5 matinee at1:00 pm and evening at 6:30 pm
Tickets start at $35 (includes parking & facility fee) and can be purchased online at BroadwayinDetroit.com.